Catch Me When I Fall
by Mist123
Summary: AU Leif is your every day high school drop out and starving artist. But her world is about to be turned upside down when she gets a roommate. Will he unravel her secrets and catch her when she falls? On Hiatus untill further notice!
1. First Stroke

_The first time I saw him, all I could think of was that from that day forward my life would either be hell or it was about to take an interesting new path... Leif Hitsugaya._

The knocking on my apartment door just wouldn't stop. Whoever it was had been there for a good ten minutes waiting for me to haul my lazy ass off of the couch; Which was not going to happen any time soon considering I had only fallen asleep at about 4:00am and it was now 8:00am.

"Leif open this door now!" Crap, that's my landlord, what could he want? He knows my habits by now, and that usually includes not coming to see me until the afternoon.

Opening my eyes I quickly rolled off the couch with a loud thud causing the knocking at my door to pause momentarily before it started again along with a few choice words about my character.

Stumbling over to the door I managed to get there without killing myself and unlatched it before opening the door to find my landlord and what appeared to be a blonde woman standing next to him.

"About time you opened the door Leif, I was beginning to think you were dead… Great Kami-sama did your paints explode or something?"

"Eh?" I responded giving the man a bleary-eyed look.

"You're covered in paint, un." The woman next to my landlord said. Wait that voice was a little to deep to be a woman's.

I rubbed my eyes trying to get the gunk out of them, giving the two men at my door a nice look at my belly button, then stared at the person before me.

The woman/man/it/thing stood taller than me by a good six inches at least, damn my short stature, with long blonde hair, some of it pulled into a odd looking ponytail and bangs covering the left eye, the right one being unobstructed showed me they were light blue. The clothes were nicer than mine by a mile, with brand name blue jeans, and a black shirt with an unbuttoned flannel shirt over it.

Definitely a lot better then what I was wearing. My sweat pants were hanging low on my hips and my long sleeved green shirt was a bit too large for me, and I was covered in paint. Splotches of color appeared everywhere ranging from the normal blues, reds, and greens to colors that were downright strange. My short black hair was a mess and I knew for a fact I probably had paint in weird places on my face.

"Can I help you?" Yeah, smart, real smart; did I mention that I'm not the brightest person in the morning? Not to mention I have low blood pressure which makes it hard to wake up in the morning.

"Leif, I thought I told you that your roommate would be coming today." I stared at the two people in front of me before once again proving morning isn't my time of day.

"That was today?" Once again not the brightest response I can give, but after five days and only four hours of sleep you'd be a bit dim as well.

"Yes Leif it's today, in fact meet your new roommate, Deidara." And with that he walked away.

The two of us stared at each other for a moment before I moved away from the doorframe and allowed him to enter. "Sorry about the mess. I would have cleaned up but you arrived kind of out of the blue."

"But you were told when I'd be coming, un." He, as I now figured him to be, said while stepping over a pile of paint tubes. We made our way through the living room where he was able to see just what the definition of starving artist meant.

The floor was covered in various piles, canvases leaning against the wall, three of my easels standing in various corners of the room, and piles of paints ranging from watercolors to pastels, to charcoal sticks lay in disarray everywhere along with what looked to be an unfinished painting that I had started to paint on the floor itself. All of that and an old maroon colored couch and a TV set that a couple of my friends had chipped in together to buy me were all that was in the room.

"This is it, yeah?" Deidara asked looking at the various piles lying around the room. I turned to him and gave a small smile while shrugging one of my shoulders.

"It's what I've got. Gives meaning to the phrase 'starving artist' doesn't it?" He stared at me unmused by my little joke and went back to staring at everything in the room. Feeling uncomfortable with the situation I cleared my throat and motioned toward the only hallway in the place.

"Um, your stuff arrived and I had them bring it into your room. I didn't know how you wanted anything so they just kind of left everything stacked in there." Deidara nodded his head and followed me down the hall and to his room which was the first door on the right side of the hall.

I pointed out were my room and the bathroom was then left him to set up his room the way he liked it. Returning to the living room I stared at the painting that I had been working on the night before. It was currently unfinished but I still knew what it would look like in the end. The background was black with a phoenix flying in it.

I turned my attention from my painting to the sound of my stomach growling. Sighing I walked toward the kitchen and looked into the fridge. I found a bunch of Taco Bell sauce packets and one moldy peach pit along with the small jug of milk I was able to afford the last time I went shopping.

Closing the door I walked over to the most inconspicuous looking item in the kitchen, namely the cow shaped cookie jar that mooed when you opened it, and pulled out the money I had made from selling some of my paintings. I sat down at the kitchen table and began to divide the money into three separate piles. One for the rent money, one for food and what was left went to supplies for me to paint with.

"You do know you have to halve your rent money now that I'm living here right, un?" Startled I looked up at Deidara who was leaning against the door frame to the kitchen. I blinked then looked down at the pile of money in front of me realizing I had divided the money for the whole amount of rent instead of just half.

"Hey! I can actually buy a gallon of milk today!" Deidara shook his head at my excitement at being able to afford a gallon of milk before walking over and placing a pile of money in front of me. "What's this for?"

"Take out my half of the rent and use the rest to buy food for us." My eyes widened at his statement before I picked up the pile of money and counted how much he had given me. It was almost twice as much as the full rent money.

"I can't accept this. It's too much." He raised an eyebrow at what I said before walking over the fridge and opening the door for me to see just what was in there again.

"We're going to need more than this if we want to keep living." Deidara stated as he reached in and carefully pulled out the fuzzy peach pit and discarded it the trash can. I stared at him and tried to decide what to do. After a moment I realized that he wouldn't back down from his decision.

"Alright, is there anything special you want while I'm at the store?"

"How about real food, un?"

"Like what?"

Deidara gave an exasperated sigh and walked over to me. Standing behind me he collected the money I would be using for the groceries and began to walk toward the front door.

"You coming, un?" he said over his shoulder. I stood up and smiled following him. Maybe this would be the start of a good friendship.


	2. Second Stroke

**I don't own Naruto, please remember that.**

**And thank you to everyone who messaged me!!!! You don't know how happy I am. Chocolate cake for everyone!!!**

_My first opinion about him being sex on legs was definitely on the money...- Leif Hitsugaya _

It had been one week since Deidara arrived and became my new roommate and in that time I had learned a few things about him.

The first thing I learned was that he liked loud things. He was constantly cranking up his stereo but I didn't really mind it was better than the utter silence I was used to.

He liked art; actually I learned that he likes sculpture. And explosions. Really loud explosions. He said that to him they were art, a fleeting moment that brings out life. Then he asked me what my opinion on art was.

"_Do you think it's fleeting or eternal, un?" he said from across the breakfast table four days after he had moved in. _

_I looked up at him and blinked, I was still impressed to have eggs and other forms of real food in my fridge to really comprehend what he was saying. He repeated his question while laughing at the look on my face. _

"_Art is neither eternal nor fleeting. It's both." He gave me a look that said he thought I was crazy so I elaborated. _

"_It can be that sunset you see once in a lifetime that is forever burned into your memory, or it can be the greatest work of art anyone has ever made put on display for the rest of time." _

_He laughed at me again, "I didn't figure you to be so deep, un." _

"Um, are you Deidara-kun's roommate?"

I looked up from my painting to see a very pretty brunette with baby blue eyes and nodded. She was better looking then me that's for sure. Compared to my shoulder length black hair and grey eyes she was a goddess.

Don't get me wrong though, I don't swing that way, I'm just very negative and a painter. I turned back to my painting finally realizing what the noises I heard last night were. Just another thing to add to my list of things I've learned about my roommate.

"Did you paint all of these?"

"Yep."

"They're beautiful." She said looking from the one I was painting to the various completed ones around the room. I finished the detail to the feathers of the phoenix painting I was doing and put my brush in the jar of water next to me.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, um, I'm Miaka."

"Leif."

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of us as we stared at each other. Luckily Deidara choose that moment to drag himself out of bed and find his girlfriend.

"What's up, un?"

"I was just talking to your roommate." Deidara nodded and wrapped his arms around Miaka who blushed at the contact. I smiled at the couple and turned my attention toward the clock.

9:45 AM I read with horror.

"I'm late!" They would kill me if I was late.

I quickly ran around the apartment gathering the things I would need including the paintings I had finished. Slinging the bag over my shoulder I slipped my sneakers on and ran out the door without another word.

It's a fifteen minute walk to the coffee shop I was going to, but I'm lucky enough to know the back ways, so really it only takes me a little less then ten minutes to run there.

Opening the door I greeted by the smell of roasted coffee beans and a bone crushing hug.

"You're late!" My attacker declared lifting me off the ground with ease. They carried me over to where I presumed the others waiting for me were and gently set me on the ground.

"Hello Leif."

I looked at the woman sitting at the table and gave her a smile as my captor sat next to her. The one who had grabbed me was Kitahn Yorochi, tan colored hair with gold-green eyes, she was one of those women men liked to describe as a goddess. Even if she did scare most of them off by standing at an even five foot eleven inches.

Next to her was Saiya Hayamia. She was a med student at the local university, though she hardly looked it with her blue hair and amethyst colored eyes. Saiya calmly took a sip of the coffee she had in her hands before directing her gaze over to the paintings I had set down next to me.

"Are you sure you want to sell so many of your paintings?"

"Yeah, I have to have some way to pay the rent even if it's now split in half because of my roommate."

Kitahn gagged on the coffee she had been sipping and I swear the normally unfazed Saiya's eyes widened just a bit. They stared at me for a breathless moment before I was bombarded with questions left and right.


	3. Third Stroke

**Thank you so much! The people who have messaged me are as follows:**

**AnimeEmpress96: Yes he does have a girlfriend, but you're gonna love what happens between the two of them. :) **

**Kuroi Hihane: Thank you! I hope you like the next chapter.**

**Fanxforever: She's a little on the dense side isn't she? -- **

**Note: I have made minor changes to chapter two. I was rereading it and realized that I had missed a lot of errors. Please yell at me for those or they may not get fixed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein. I do however own all of my oc's. **

**Warning flamers will be laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know. **

**Now Onward!!!**

_Meeting Deidara's friends for the first time was one of the most frightening things in my life. I t also gave me friends who would later help me when __**he**__ came to visit. -Leif_

It took the better part of two hours to calm my friends down and explain what had happened in the last week. After that we spent the rest of the day together alternately selling my paintings and hanging out in various stores we liked.

While we were out and I had money I took the opportunity to pick up more supplies for my painting. This included paints, easels, and a one gallon bucket of chalk. I had a little project I had been working on for a while that I needed the chalk for.

It was almost seven when I got home and ran straight into a wall in the front hallway. Since when had that been there?

"Hey watch it!" a deep, rough voice said from the wall.

"Eh?"

I backed up a few steps and looked into the blue face of a man I did not recognize. My back hit the door and I stayed there whimpering like a scared puppy, I've never done well with very aggressive people, it reminds me to much of him.

"Kisame who are you talking to?"

"Don't know, this chick just walked into my back, and now she looks like a kicked puppy."

"That must be Leif, un." I heard Deidara say from somewhere in the kitchen. "Kisame, stop scaring my roommate, un."

Kisame gave me a weird look before shrugging and walking into the living room. I bent down and began to pick up the bags I had dropped making sure to pick up anything that had spilled out.

"Leif?!" a disbelieving voice said. Looking up I was surprised to see a man with silver hair and magenta colored eyes staring at me in surprise. We hadn't seen each other since I was very young and used to spend the night at his house just so he could help me hide the bruises in the morning.

"Hidan-kun?"

We continued to stare at each other before Deidara came back into the room and looked at the scene before him.

"You know each other, un?"

"Leif was my neighbor when we were kids, we used to be good friends until I moved away."

Deidara nodded in understanding then glanced at me as I finally came into the living room nearly dropping my bags again at the sight of all the people in there.

There was a man with black hair and even blacker eyes who was standing near the window, and next to him was Kisame. Another man sat on the couch with Hidan wearing a mask that kept his features hidden except for strange white colored irises and black around them. A red headed man stood on the other side of the room staring at one of the paintings I've been working on. The final man I saw looked to have a giant plant attached to him and was painted half black and half white with yellow eyes.

"I-I see you have guests, I'll go to my room so you can have some privacy. Nice seeing you again Hidan-kun, let's get in touch." And with that I bowed at the waist and beat a hasty retreat to my room.

Getting in there I closed the door and set my bags down gently, while letting out a sigh of relief to be out of that situation. Unfortunately karma wanted to bite me in the ass that day.

Suddenly a young boy with messy black hair and an orange mask with a swirl on it phased through my wall.

"Tobi is a good boy!"

"Aaiiiiiieeeee!" and then I knew no more.

Third person point of view

Everyone in the living room gave a start at the sound of Leif's scream. From what they could tell someone had just killed her.

Tobi phased through the wall looking guilty. Deidara stared at him with growing horror when suddenly a knock came from the front door. Quickly making a decision he rounded up everyone and stuffed them into his room.

Another knock on the door alerted Deidara to the fact that the person wasn't leaving anytime soon. He took a moment to calm himself down then opened the door to see an elderly woman standing there staring at him suspiciously.

"Can I help you, un?"

"I thought I heard Leif scream."

"She saw a mouse, un."

"… But Leif isn't afraid of mice."

"It was a really big mouse, un, and it was chewing on one of her paintings" And with that he closed the door on the woman's face and made his way back to his room. Upon opening the door he was greeted by the sight of his friends packed together like sardines, a couple of them were even standing on his bed.

"I never want this many guys in my room ever again, un."


	4. Fourth Stroke

**Once again thank you to everyone who messaged me. **

**I can't believe how fast these chapters came to me; you guys are inspiring me to write! Cake for everyone!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I only own my oc's of which there are a lot of. --**

**Warning flamers will be laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know. **

"_Have you ever noticed that even though you don't get involved in a fight between two people you know you're usually the one who ends up getting attacked?" –Leif _

"Leif, are you awake, un?"

I groaned in response and let my eyes flutter open. Deidara was kneeling next to me giving me a mildly worried look while gently running a wet rag over my face.

"What happened?"

"You fainted, un."

I blinked once letting the images of what had happened come back to me before asking my next question.

"How long was I out?"

"A couple of hours, un."

I nodded and sat myself up noticing for the first time that the other people weren't there anymore.

"I sent them home; thought it would be for the best, un."

"Thanks." He nodded and stood up from where he had been kneeling next to the couch I was on and walked into the kitchen. When he returned he handed me a glass of water and an aspirin which I gratefully accepted.

After downing the pills we both agreed it would be best to put the evening behind us and just go to bed. When I got to my room I once again had to pick up the stuff I had dropped and put it in its proper place. Crawling into bed I let myself drift off to sleep, happy with how exciting my life was becoming with my new roommate. Little did I know that in a few days Karma would once again decide to kick me in the pants.

A few days later

Knock, knock, knock.

I looked up from the winter scene I was painting and toward the door. It was still pretty early in the morning so there weren't that many people who could be at the door. Sliding off the stool I made my way toward the door calling to Deidara, who was in the kitchen at the moment.

"I'll get it!"

Opening the door I managed to catch a glimpse of a familiar looking brunette just before I was drenched in three gallons of something very sticky.

"You two-timing bastard! How dare you think you can use me like that! Who do you think I am! I ought to castrate…you?...Leif?"

"Hello Miaka-san."

Carefully I wiped whatever Miaka had dumped on me out of my eyes and stared up at her. She gave me a surprised look that quickly turned to horror and began to stutter out an apology.

"Leif, I'm so sorry! I thought that Deidara would open the door seeing as you usually sleep in. Um…could you tell him I hate his stinking guts and that I'm not his girlfriend anymore?...And could you possibly get some of that in his hair?...Once again I'm so sorry, that should come out with a good washing...Well…Bye!"

Miaka carefully reached over and shut the door. By that time I was completely covered from head to toe in this goop and there was a large puddle forming under me. I heard the shuffling of feet and then Deidara poked his head around the frame.

"Leif I thought I heard yelling is everything alright, un?...What happened, un?!"

"Um…Miaka says she's not your girlfriend anymore…Ewwww…"

Deidara cautiously came over to me and examined the damage his ex had done. I kept wiping the sticky goop out of my eyes. Whatever it was it had a very sweet taste to it…Wait I recognized that taste, well tastes.

"I wonder what she used, un."

"Chocolate syrup, maple syrup, caramel, butterscotch, strawberry syrup, and pineapple sauce, I think."

He stared at me then without any warning put his hands under my arms, lifted my up and started carrying me toward the kitchen.

"We'll have to wash it out of your hair first; I'll help make sure it's all out, un." Deidara carefully set me down in front of the sink and then disappeared for a moment only to come back with some of his shampoo. He gently pushed me so that my head was over the sink then turned the water on letting it run through the now sticky strands hair. For once I was glad to have short hair it made getting it clean a lot quicker.

Deidara took his time making sure to get every last strand clean. It was strange to say the least. I mean getting your hair washed by your roommate because his girlfriend wanted revenge and instead got you?

"Okay, close your eyes, un."

After rinsing out the suds he once again picked me up and carried me to the bathroom where he gently set me down in the tub.

"I'll clean up the rest you shower, un."

And then he was gone. I suddenly realized I was blushing; my face feeling like it was on fire. Maybe, just maybe, he had more of an affect on me than I thought.


	5. Fifth Stroke

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters from it. I do own my own characters however.**

**Warning: ****Flamers will be laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know.**

**Note: I'm going to say sorry in advance if this isn't quiet up to snuff as the rest of my chapters. Two weeks ago I found out my mother has filed for divorce, and there had been a lot of fighting and tension at my house. I will try to keep posting and such but your support and prayers are appreciated. **

**Thank you.**

_"How can I describe the first time Kit and Saiya met Deidara? ...Interesting…Yes, I believe that's the only thing that I can really call it." Leif_

It's been two and a half weeks since Deidara came: Two of the most exciting weeks of my life. Things have slowed down a bit since the incident with Miaka, but that's what's nice about having him for a roommate, one day the house can be very loud and energetic, the next it can be a very quite, peaceful, place.

I was even happier about being able to get back into contact with Hidan. Like I said before, he and I were neighbors. We practically grew up together until he had to move away.

The last week has been really fun though. In the pas few days I've managed to meet all of Deidara's friends. They've all come over at some point or another and introduced themselves to me. They're quite nice once you get to know them, even if they are a little scary.

This day, however, was different. It was raining out side to begin with, Deidara had decided to go hang out with Sasori-san for the day, and Kit and Saiya decided to visit me.

"So, who's next in your little project Leif?" Kit asked from her position of sitting on the kitchen counter. Saiya and I were sitting at the small table I had in the kitchen.

"I was thinking Akira-san."

"She'll be interesting to paint; her blonde hair certainly won't make it easy." Saiya commented, taking a sip of coffee, she's such a coffee addict.

"I can work around it, that's what makes it fun and unique."

Suddenly we heard the door open and close followed closely by Deidara calling out the one thing he should have never said while my friends were in the building.

"Leif, I'm home, and I'm wet and horny, un!"

Saiya choked on the coffee she was drinking and Kit fell off the counter, but not before yelling at him.

"You're what?!!"

Deidara stuck his head into the kitchen revealing that he was soaking wet from head to foot and wearing a pair of devil horns. He gave Kit and Saiya a curious look before casting his gaze toward me.

He had no idea what he'd just gotten himself into.

I let my head fall onto the table, trying to figure out how to explain this to everyone without getting Deidara mauled. Kit and Saiya were slowly advancing on him and he looked a little afraid. Who wouldn't be though, Kit's as tall and most guys and Saiya looks like she can kill a person and never get caught.

Making a quick decision I got up and stood in front of Deidara, acting as a shield.

"Kitahn, Saiya, I'd like you to meet my roommate Deidara. Deidara, these are my friends, Yorochi Kitahn, and Hayamia Saiya."

"Nice to meet you, un."

The room was a tense silence for a moment and then suddenly Deidara was lifted off the floor and put into a chair by Kit. Saiya ushered me out of the kitchen and then locked the door behind her.

"Um, I'd appreciate it if you didn't hurt and, or, kill my roommate guys. After all, I'll have to pay full rent if he disappears."

"Gee Leif; I'm so happy to know you're so concerned about my health, un." Deidara's sarcastic reply was slightly muffled by the door but at least he sounded fine.

I tapped against the door a couple of times and waited. I was pretty sure my friends wouldn't do anything to rash, but it never hurt to make sure.

"Come on guys it was just a joke, there's no need to get bent out of shape about it."

Scuffling sounds came from behind the door and then it was opened. Stepping inside I caught sight of Deidara sitting at the table looking slightly frightened, and Kit and Saiya leaning against the counter looking mildly amused and frighteningly pleased.

"Oh sweet Kami-sama, what did you threaten him with?!"

Kit let out an unladylike snort and Saiya smiled. That was never a good sign. Carefully I walked over to Deidara and checked him over for any wounds. Of course if they really had hurt him they wouldn't have left any visible wounds.

"We just had a nice little chat with him, that's all." Kit said letting out another snort.

"All we wanted to do is lay down some ground rules with him. I'm sure he understands that that's all we were doing." Saiya said as she continued to smile and sip her coffee.

Silence settled in the kitchen as I tended to Deidara and my friends continued to stare him down. Finally Saiya set down her cup with and audible clink and then stood up and brushed herself off.

"Well, I think I should be leaving, how about you, Kit?"

"Yeah, I've got things to do. See ya Leif."

"Goodnight Leif."

"Bye guys."

And without a second glance at the person they had emotionally scared, they left.

"Hey Leif?"

Uh-oh, he dropped the un, this must be really bad.

"Yes Deidara?"

"Your friends are really scary."

"I know."


	6. Sixth Stroke

**Hey! I guess it's been a while. Sorry I spent a week up north with absolutely nothing to do and inspiration escaped me so…--**

**The problem with my parents still remains, but we are working on fixing things. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters from it. I do own my own characters however.**

**Warning: ****Flamers will be laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know.**

**Thank you to everyone who messages. You guys are the people who keep me writing. You know who you are. **

_It's amazing. You think you've got a person figured out and then you find out something unexpected. I guess Deidara will always surprise me. –Leif_

It was ten AM. Why was I, the chronic late sleeper, up at that time of day? The answer was that I had actually gotten to sleep early. So now I was up and groggily making my way toward the kitchen.

I passed Deidara on my way; he was sitting on the couch eating a bowl of cereal and watching TV. Once in the kitchen I poured myself a bowl of Fruit Loops and made my way back to the living room where Deidara was eating his Cheerios.

Sitting next to him I began to dig into the sugary food, barely noticing what was on. It wasn't until I was more awake that I started noticing what was on. Blinking I looked from the TV, to him, and then back to the TV.

"Soap Operas?"

"They're actually better then most people say they are, un."

"So you're saying it's not just about the evil twin stealing the love interest of someone?"

"Sometimes it's the evil triplet, un."

I gave him a mild glare then returned my attention back to the TV. It was amazing that something I had so many preconceptions about actually trapped my attention. Guess you just never know what you'll find, especially when you have a roommate like Deidara.

But it was when I looked over to Deidara and saw the way the light hit him that I was hit by inspiration.

"Deidara-kun!" I think I scared him when I leapt up like that and gave him a starry eyed grin. He was going to be the next project I would paint.

"What, un?"

"May I paint you?"

"…Leif you're scaring your roommate, un."

"Yes, but still; May I paint you?"

He sighed and let his head drop to his chest. This would take some persuasion, but I knew just what to do.

Dropping onto my knees, still on the couch mind you; I clasped my hands in front of me and gave him my best puppy dog look. Now it's not usually in my nature to do this, it is how I had gotten my friends to let me paint them.

He stared at me, trying to resist the look I was giving him but it didn't work.

"What does letting you paint me imply exactly, un?"

"I'll show you." I jumped off the couch managing not to kill myself because Deidara had made me clean up all my stuff after he had moved in and race to my room. Scrambling around I finally found the photo album I was looking for and raced back to the living room.

"Here, this is what I mean. I've already painted Kit, and Saiya, along with a couple of other people I know."

Deidara opened the album as I looked over his shoulder. The very first page was of Kit. She was wearing skin colored spandex shorts and a sports bra which I had painted over. Her fur matched her hair color and you could just barely notice the change in color for her stomach, neck, face and the inside of her arms.

All in all she looked feline. When I first started I had no clue what cat she would be so I just went with feline.

The next picture was of Saiya, whom had been painted to look like a Desert King Snake, Thousands of iridescent blue/black scales adorned her body, along with the white stripe of scales placed at even intervals. It had taken me nearly twelve hours to complete it, but the end result was well worth it.

A couple of other people showed up, a young blonde boy I had made into a fox, he was the younger brother to Akira-san, an eleven year old girl with short brown hair, and green blue eyes that was a Peregrine Falcon.

"These are really good, un. I'll do it."

"Really?"

"Un."

"Yay!!!" I quickly scrambled off to my room again and then returned with a pair of shorts and a jar of cold cream.

"You're going to have to put this on and apply this every where or it's going to be hard to get the paint off."

He took the items thoughtfully, giving me a look that said that he was starting to regret agreeing to let me paint him.

"If you don't want to I don't mind, I know it seems a little crazy and all."

"No, it's alright, un. It's just kind of scary that you have that stuff ready, especially the shorts, un."

"Well, when I bought the shorts they came in three packs, Kit's about your size I'd say, plus she prefers wearing guys shorts to begin with."

"I see, un." With that he got up and made his way toward his room. I proceeded to get the rest of what I needed ready. That meant laying out a white sheet that went up the wall and getting the various paints I was going to use ready.

When he came out I had him stand on the sheet and got to work. Carefully I began to apply the various layers of paint needed for what I was doing. Long brush strokes eventually became short ones, and I began to mix the other shades of color into what I was doing.

Time passed and when I was finally done it was well past sunset, but what I had done was well worth it. Golden-brown feathers covered Deidara's body from head to toe along with some lighter yellow-gold feathers mingled among them.

"Do you wanna see?"

"Duh, un."

"Okay, c'mon." I gently tugged on his hand, which had been painted to look like the ends of wings, and led him to the full length mirror in my room. Deidara stared at himself for a moment taking in his appearance before speaking.

"A Golden Eagle, un?"

"It's because you strike me as the type of person who'd love to fly, and you're a predator. Don't act like you aren't I've seen the way you look at women when we go get groceries. Heck I've seen your approach; you're a very predatory person."

Deidara let out a laugh at my explanation and continued to examine himself in the mirror. After a moment he gave a single nod and turned back to me smiling in approval.

"What now, un?"

"Now we take pictures."

We made our way back into the living room and Deidara once again took his place on the white sheet. I began to snap off pictures, nothing fancy just him looking natural.

Once I was done Deidara decided to give me the second biggest surprise he'd ever given me.

"Thanks, un. I never imagined that something like this would ever happen, and I never really thought about myself as something like this. It's true art, un!"

"Uh…um…Thank you?"

"Hey Leif, do you have anything special planned for those pictures?"

"No, not really."

"Than can I show them to a friend of mine? He'd really love these, and he'd probably pay you big money for more of them, un."

"O-Okay."

"Great, un! When you get them developed just hand them over to me and I'll let him take a look." And then as if all of that wasn't enough he leaned down and kissed my forehead, and then left to take a shower.

Gently touching the spot where he had kissed me I let out a sigh.

"This isn't fair, he keeps surprising me. And I don't think I'm even his type."


	7. Seventh Stroke

**Thank you all so much!!! The messages you sent me made me push myself to write this chapter and get it out to you so here it is. The next one will not take as long I promise.**

**Oh! And Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year to everyone!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Naruto, I do own all of my oc's. **

**Warning: ****flamers will be laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know.**

"_Someone once said, "Great minds think alike." So what's that say for the fact that Deidara's friends and my friends have the same idea?" _

It was ten AM and Leif wasn't up yet, not an unusual occurrence. Deidara sat on the couch eating cheerios and watching his soaps. Really it was just like any other day. Little did they know that today was going to be anything but ordinary…

Suddenly, Deidara was brought out of his quiet time by the sound of someone knocking at the door. Not wanting to wake Leif up he hurried over and opened the door; only to have a strange powder thrown into his face and to fall unconscious to the floor. The person made sure he was out then motioned for their partner to carry him away.

The person made their way toward Deidara's room and a few minutes latter walked out locking the door to the apartment behind them.

It was noon something. That's all I knew aside from the fact that the apartment was surprisingly quiet. But that was nothing new either; Deidara had probably gone out for a while.

Dragging myself out of bed I made my way toward the kitchen only to be intercepted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. I sluggishly made my way toward the door and without thinking opened it without checking to see who it was. Big mistake…

"Good morning Leif!!" Kit yelled while wrapping her arms around me and throwing me over her shoulder. From the corner of my eye I saw Saiya enter the apartment and make her way toward my room.

"Um, what are you guys doing?"

"Well, I called Akira last night and we got to talking, and she pointed out that we hadn't had a girl's weekend in a long time, so we're here to kidnap you and take you on a vacation!"

How Kit said that all in one breath I'll never know, but it didn't really matter because she was now walking down the hall with me still slung over her shoulder. None of my neighbors looked out their doors to see what the commotion was about, so we went unhindered all the way down to the car that was awaiting us.

"Konnichiwa, Leif."

"Oh! Konnichiwa Akira!"

Leaning against the car was a tall blonde with sky blue eyes. That's Uzumaki Akira, she's really a great person. Basically she's the older sister to the entire group. You know the type, right? Tall, but not too tall, good looking, but she's the nicest person you'll ever know. That's her in a nutshell.

Getting back on subject, Kit had placed me on the ground, finally, and I stood there talking to Akira for a few moments until Saiya came out of the building holding my duffel bag. She threw the bag into the trunk and calmly climbed into the passenger seat of the car while the rest of us piled in after her.

"Ah, that reminds me, Leif."

"Yes Akira?"

"Kirrie is going to meet us at the hotel, and she's bringing Kaoru!"

"That's great! I can't wait to see them."

The drive there was about two hours long but it was well worth it. For some odd reason my friends have the strangest connections in the world, so we actually ended up at a traditional Japanese inn in the middle of the countryside. It even had a lake and hot springs!

We wasted no time in getting our stuff inside and finding our room, which was a large suite with doors that opened onto the porch and futons for all of us to sleep on. The room also had a traditional low table for us to sit at and have our meals, or whatever else we wanted to do.

It turned out that my friends had this plotted out a lot better than I thought they did, because they also had managed to bring yukata's for all of us to wear. I was quickly thrown a light purple yukata with koi fish embroidered on it and a dark purple obi to tie around myself. Truly my friends are devious people to have this so well planned out.

The others quickly changed into their yukata's as well and soon we headed for the game room of the inn where Akira and Kit commenced to play a round of table tennis. It was quite funny to watch them because they're both really aggressive when it comes down to competitions.

Saiya sat next to me wearing a burgundy colored yukata with white lilies on it and a matching white obi, looking exceedingly bored. We watched as Akira quickly sprinted backwards to hit the small ball that Kit had just sent flying at her, without tripping in her yellow and light pink stripped yukata and creamsicle orange obi, and her knee length blonde hair flying everywhere because she hadn't tied it back.

Kit laughed like a maniac as she returned the ball Akira had managed to hit her way, her plain dark green yukata with lime green obi flying around her wildly. Where she even got a yukata and obi those colors was beyond any of our guesses.

Suddenly my eyes were covered by a pair of hands and I was asked to guess their identity.

"Um, Santa?"

"No."

"The Easter Bunny?"

"No."

"CJ?"

"Heeeyyy!!! How'd ya guess?"

Once the hands were removed I turned to face the self proclaimed best karate master in Japan. The woman behind me was the same age as Kit only with boyishly short orange hair and lilac eyes. She wore a pair of overalls over a long sleeved shirt and a pair of sneakers on her feet.

"What are you doing here?" Akira asked while trying to catch her breath. Kit was doing the same while leaning on the table the little score card board currently read 0-1.

"We needed a ride so I called her and she drove us here." Another voice said. Looking toward the doorway I caught sight of the two people we had been waiting for. The girl was sixteen and almost albino, the exception being her blue eyes, and her four year old son who looked exactly like his mother. Both of them were wearing matching pastel blue yukatas and navy blue obi's.

"Took you long enough to get here, Kirrei."

"Hn."

The new arrivals quickly joined our little party and before I knew it we were heading toward the courtyard, which happened to have a volleyball court in it. CJ was more than willing to join the fun and somehow Saiya was dragged into playing on Kit's side.

Kirrei decided to be ref, which left Kaoru and I watching from the porch as a new game was started. But it seemed that the day continued to hold surprises for me. Within twenty minutes of the game starting the shuffle of feet came to my attention, especially when they stopped right behind me.

"Leif-kun I'm surprised to see you here."

I turned and came face to knee with Sasori-san. He stared down at me with an unreadable look and then turned his attention to the court where everyone was still playing. I watched him carefully as he scanned over my friends, but what really caught my attention was when his eyes lingered on Saiya for a moment longer than the others.

"Is something the matter Sasori-san?"

"No."

"There you are Sasori, I was wondering where you went, un. The others want to get a game of mahjong going, and they say we need you to play, un…Leif?"

I swear, sometimes it really is scary how both of us have friends who think so much alike.

**Answers for my readers.**

**The Ying-and-Yang: Thank you! I'll be sure to post faster!**

**SabakuNoGaara426: I actually got the idea from a book I read, but it was only painting the face in the book.**

**Luna.the.betrayed.ninja: Hugs for you for being a good friend and thank you so much for the support!**

**Julian E Tillett: It's out, and I hope you like it!**

**redfox-akatsuki: Your message really brightened my day when I read it! And please don't cry! Thanks!**

**Shannon: Thanks! -**

**gothic-chao: It's up, and you're welcome!**

**Se-chan: Thank you for telling me all that! Leif is actually based off of my BFF Victoria.**

**7greenevilpuppies: Ugh. I understand how that goes. I'm a senior and I've got so much going on I barely have any time to myself. **

**Chris: Thank you for correcting me! I can't fix it just yet but it will happen!**

**People-stare-I-Glare: Thank you!! You're so nice for telling me that!**

**Dei-kunsgirl: I told him but he said he needed to help Leif with something, but he'll see you soon!**

**SadisticVampiress: You wouldn't believe how many animals I went over before choosing the eagle, but in the end that's all I could see him as. **

**kingdomheartsfangirl185: Of course you would be! I love it when people message me! It let's me know how my writing is. **

**AnimeEmpress96: ROCK ON!!!**

**Hibiki-chan: I loved it to!**

**Hyuuga'slover: Thank you! I was going for someone who was kind of his opposite but not completely. **

**fanXforever: Yep, she's a girl of many talents. **

**megumi-sachou: Thank you so much, it really means a lot to me!**

**Lovefatedestiny: Here ya go!**

**Kitsune Cupcake: I hope you like this one!**


	8. Eight Stroke

"_Our friends…a mishmash of loud, quiet, caretakers, fighters, brash, cautious, planners, doers, gamblers, older siblings, former assassins, and sword masters, in simple terms the kind of people you don't bring together unless you wish to start a riot." Leif Hitsugaya _

"Tsumo! Haha! I win, you strip!"

"What! You can't possibly be serious!"

"Would you rather have to pay with cash?"

"No, but I…you…ARGH!!"

"Hidan shut up and take off your haori."

"But Kakuzu…"

"Shut up and take it off before I fu…"

"Hey! No swearing around Kaoru!"

"What? You bi…"

I winced as Kit hit Hidan from across the table they were sitting at, but really he did kind of deserve it. After all he was about to swear in front of Kaoru and Kirrei expressly forbids that from happening. But then again, what do you expect when you put people like Kit and Hidan in a room together? They either fight or start making out, though come to think of it it's been a couple of weeks since Kit broke up with her last boyfriend so there's a possibility it could be both at some point in time.

"Does she always act like that?"

A resounding group yes answered Sasori's question as Hidan finally sat up rubbing his jaw and taking of his haori. We had retreated to the rooms Kit had booked because they were much bigger than what the guys had. Kit grinned and proceeded to mix up the mahjong tiles they were playing with. Kakuzu sat by silently also missing his haori and CJ had stripped off one of her socks.

"Alright next round!"

"So Leif-kun, I didn't realize you had such an interesting array of friends."

I grinned and shrugged at Kisame-san as we continued to watch what was slowly progressing into a very loud party.

"What can I say? I just kind of found them, or maybe they found me. It's really quite hard to tell."

"Hm."

Somewhere off to our left Saiya and Sasori sat together not saying a word but strangely looking completely natural with each other. Itachi, Kirrei, and Kaoru sat at another low table having tea while Kaoru colored on some sketches I had done for him. Akira was sitting quietly on the porch leaving the shoji door open so she could be called if she was needed for anything.

Deidara was nowhere to be seen at the moment, as he had gone off to order food for all of us.

"Call."

"Call, Sanbaiman, I win, you strip again!"

Just as Hidan was about to let out another barrage of curse words a knock came to the door. Thinking that we had been causing too much of a problem we all looked at one another trying to decide what to do when Akira got up from her spot on the porch and walked to the door.

"May I help you?" The polite smile Akira had been wearing disappeared when the face of her stalker appeared behind the door.

"Akira-chan, I thought I had seen you earlier today. What a pleasant surprise."

"Kakashi-san, chotto matte, kudasai."1 Akira closed the door and went back over to her bags rummaging around for a few minutes before pulling out a tanto2.

"Akira you know if you kill him we have to find a place to hide the body, and clean up the mess, right?" Kit asked without looking up from her new game of mahjong.

"Yes I know. But I'm not going to kill him…just horribly maim."

"Oh, alright then, have fun."

Akira gave a little hum of acknowledgement and then opened the door. Hatake-san took one look at the tanto and decided that it would be best to make a quick escape. The following puff of smoke didn't seem to faze Akira as she closed the door and then returned to her spot on the porch.

The room remained silent for a moment and then the silence was broken when Hidan managed to finally win a hand of Mahjong.

"Nine treasures…strip. Now."

"Are you making a really pathetic attempt to come on to me? Cause you're gonna have to work harder than that."

Hidan sputtered in indignation for a moment as Kit grinned at him and slipped off one of her tabi3 socks and deposited it on the table.

"That's not fair!"

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not!"

"Yes it tis!"

"Who says 'tis' anymore?!"

"I do, that's who!"

"Did I miss something, un?"

"Strip Mahjong gone horribly wrong."

Deidara stared at the fight that continued between Kit and Hidan as he attempted to hold all the food we had ordered in his arms. How he even got the door open is still a mystery. The fight continued on and Deidara was almost knocked over when Kit once again hauled off and hit Hidan sending him sliding on his back across the floor.

"Hey don't you dare ruin the food!" Kit yelled just before she leaped over the table and tackled Hidan forcing him in to a small wrestling match.

"Ah, Deidara-san you may want to move, Kit gets rough when she wants to play."

Suddenly the fight was broken up when both Kit and Hidan found themselves unable to move. The cause being that Sasori-san had gotten sick of their bickering and had unnoticeably bound them with chakra thread.

"This is quite uncomfortable you know."

"Hn."

Kit let out a growl but otherwise she seemed to have given up on attacking Hidan while they could damage something or someone. Sasori-san let his chakra strings retreat back into his hand and Kit fell onto Hidan since there was nothing holding her up anymore. The two of them quickly separated and turned their backs to each other as if that proved a point.

"That reminds me, are you guys planning to spend the night here or in your own rooms?" CJ said for the first time since we had all gotten settled into the room.

The following silence was a bit frightening and then all hell broke loose.

Our friends are definitely a bunch of freaks.

Translations

"Kakashi-san, chotto matte, kudasai."- Kakashi-san, please, wait a minute.

Tanto- This is a small japanese knife from the same steel as the Katana

Tabi socks- a Japanese sock that have a split in the sock for the large toe so that they may comfortably be worn with sandals.

**I'm so sorry this took so long! I've been applying to colleges and scholarships like crazy. My mom's being really anal about all of it as well so that doesn't really help. **

**On the plus side I've got two study halls a day at school and they're actually in a room with computers that take my Jump Drive! That means that these should come out a lot faster than before. **

**On the down side I'm (**_**still**_**) trying to find a job so I can help my mom pay the bills for the house. --**

**Thanks to everyone who reads these things and reviews. It really lifts my spirits. **


	9. Ninth Stroke

"Things are changing

**Yes I'm back! I got this done during school now that everythings starting to calm down. I've got a job to! I'm working at a JoAnn's Fabrics and their paying me seven bucks an hour!**

**I've also gotten accepted to my college of choice so now I'm filling out enough scholarships to drown in.-- Also the tiny bit of writers block I had has gone away so writing this is easier. **

**I know this sound both weird and greedy, but I would love to get pictures of what you guy think Leif looks like…I can't draw to save myself. -- If you guys want to send me any pictures I'll gladly take them and find a way to link them to my home page. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Naruto, I do own Leif and her friends. **

**Warning: Flamers will be**** laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know.**

**And a big thank you to all who messaged me, I will be making an effort to reply very soon.**

* * *

"_Things are changing. I didn't want Deidara to find out about __**him**__. But it would seem fate has other plans for me."_

"Breakfast time! Breakfast time! I love Breakfast time!"

It's interesting to wake up after partying all night with my friends. I'm not a morning person, but Kit is the type of person who can wake up groggy and then go to hyperactive when she smells breakfast.

"Kit be quiet; everyone else is still asleep!" Akira's gentle voice chided from somewhere off to my left, I've never understood how she can get up at the crack of dawn and not need coffee.

"Not anymore Akira."

Sitting up I could see that Kirrei was up as well groggily looking around the darkened room as most of the others let out various sounds and either attempted to go back to sleep or joined those of us who were waking up.

"Must you be so loud?" Hidan complained, mindful of the fact that Kirrei and Kaoru were in the room, which meant he still couldn't swear.

"You haven't seen loud yet."

Before either of them could start another fight the air in the room dropped to the point that we could see our breaths and ice began to form along the edges of the floor and walls. Turning I looked over at Kirrei who was very calmly stroking Kaoru's hair as she glared at the two.

"This little unrequited love affair is getting old. Either shut up and get a room or drop it."

The others were quickly roused from their sleep as the temperature dropped to the point that several vases were frozen solid before Kirrei let her powers drop and the ice began to recede.

"Kirrei, did you have to freeze the room? I mean really, now we're all awake." CJ's disgruntled voice said as she sat leaning against a wall trying to get her short hair from standing on end. Several other grumbles of agreement went through the room as everyone else began to sit up and get dressed. In a matter of minutes we were ready and headed down toward the breakfast area.

We managed to grab enough tables to fit all of us and then decided that it would be best just to go with the buffet instead of making the waitress, who looked thoroughly frightened of us, carry so many plates.

So that's how I ended up halfway across the room, a warm plate with a crepe on it in my left hand, and a spoon full of scrambled eggs in the other.

"Dude, how can you eat that stuff?"

"I happen to like grits."

"Dude, the meat, go for the meat!"

Laughing at Kit and Hidan's antics I continued down the line of counters and grabbed an apple along my way. When I turned to go back to the table though I bumped into something solid and spilled the juice I had in my other hand.

"Watch where you're going!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

Looking up I stared a man no older than twenty-five with a muscular build and a very angry expression on his plain face.

"You didn't see me huh? Well how about I make it so you can't see much of anything out of one of your eyes?"

He reached out and grabbed the front of my shirt making me drop my plate with a loud crash and raised his fist to hit me. That's when ten years of instinct kicked in and made me faint so that I wouldn't have to endure any pain he could give me.

* * *

Deidara looked over to where he had heard the crash, and saw a man with plain brown hair lift Leif off the floor like he was going to throw her across the room, and immediately began to move to protect her. But before he could do anything a delicate hand grabbed his arm and drew his attention from the unconscious girl.

"Excuse me sir, just what do you think you're doing to my friend?"

"This little bitch ran into me, I think she needs to learn a lesson."

Saiya's features remained emotionless with the exception of her eyes, which seemed to darken several shades before she tightened her grip on the man's arm and dug her nails into his flesh. The man let out a yelp of pain and started to let go of Leif, but before she could hit the ground Kit was there and holding the girl in her arms.

"Deidara-san, could you do me a favor and hold onto Leif for me?" Nodding once Deidara took Leif into his arms and backed away from the man, finally noticing that Leif's friends had him surrounded and that several of them looked too eerily calm for their own good.

"Sir, if we may have a word with you outside for a moment…" Akira's words had a frightening calmness about them that brought to mind images of the man walking off and never being seen again, but the man had no chance to escape he was quickly dragged out of the room by the girls and, to the rest of the groups surprise, Hidan joined in the beating party.

"What was that about, un?"

"I would say that there's something in Leif's past that makes her friends overly protective about her, especially when it comes to people threatening her with violence." Sasori's calm voice broke through the trance that had overtaken them.

"Mama says that Leif's father was really mean to her, and that that's why she faints whenever someone tries to hit her." Kaoru's statement made everyone turn to stare at the boy who was so calmly standing by the tables waiting for his mother to return.

"What do you mean Kaoru?" Itachi asked as the boy continued to stare down the hall looking for his mother.

"It's nothing; I used to get into fights with my father a lot that's all. I fainted 'cause I was so startled I forgot to breathe."

Looking down Deidara gave Leif a curious stare that she wouldn't meet and then gently set her down.

* * *

_"They don't know anything yet, don't panic. The only one's who know aren't in the room and Kaoru doesn't know enough to tell them more. Don't panic."_

I inhaled deeply, trying to get my nerves calm once again and ignore the fact that every eye in the room was on me. I hated it, it reminded me of those times when the only things I was allowed to paint were for **his** happiness, not my own.

"Leif is something wrong, un?"

Looking up at Deidara's concerned face reminded me that I wasn't alone, and that I didn't live under that man anymore. I gave him a smile and told him I was fine just as my friends walked back into the building with various looks of pleased accomplishment on their faces.

"Ah, Leif you're conscious again. Good." Akira's motherly tone made me smile even more as she gently placed her hand on my head and checked to see if I was injured. Around her shoulder I watched as Deidara walked over to Kit and Saiya and seemingly began asking something, but they wouldn't answer.

Kit shook her head and shrugged while Saiya said something to him that made him cock an eyebrow at her but otherwise do nothing in response. He sighed and made his way over to Sasori who was giving Saiya a scrutinizing look that she seemingly ignored. Soon enough we were back at our tables with enough food to feed a small army and discussing our plans for the day.

"I heard that there's a temple here that's supposed to be inhabited by various spirits."

"I didn't think you believed in that kind of stuff CJ."

"Dude, Akira, I've been knocked in the head and sent to the hospital enough times to make my ancestors turn in their graves and give any future children I have an odd twitch. I've seen some pretty weird things while unconscious. Therefore I have the right to believe in whatever I want."

"Whatever you say."

"Hey give me back my bacon!"

"You have enough meat on that plate to feed a lion, share!"

"I am not paying for this, I hope you know."

"The hell you aren't!"

"Mama, may I have more syrup?"

"Itachi-san, pass the syrup please."

"Here."

"What job did you say you had again?"

"Private Detective, why do you ask Saiya-san?"

"Curiosity."

"Leif is something wrong, un?"

"Yeah, everything's fine."

It's so normal you'd think that we'd been doing this for a long time.


	10. Tenth Stroke

**Hey the newest one is up! I can't believe it! Hope you guys like it. And Rember to message me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters. I do however own my characters. **

**Warning: Warning: Flamers will be laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know.**

_"Kit once told me, 'not all secrets are easily hidden, and even if they are, they don't usually stay that way.' Looking back I knew what she was trying to say but still avoided it like it was the plague. I just wanted to keep running, but it seems that my secrets not about to let that happen."_

"Why are we taking these damn stairs again? OW!!"

"No swearing around Kaoru!"

"Damn it woman you just kicked me in the head!"

"I wouldn't have to if you wouldn't swear like you're a pirate."

Quietly laughing at the antics of Kit and Hidan so as not to incur their wrath, I kept walking up the massive amount of stairs that led to one of the temples of the region. Massive amounts of stairs that supposedly led to what promised to be a spectacular view, that is if we didn't have to occasionally duck Hidan's flying body as Kit punished him for something or another.

"Hey guy's, we've reached the top!"

A round of semi-enthused 'yays' followed CJ's comment as we finally reached the top of the steps. The view around us was as incredible as expected, with miles of trees and Mount Fuji in the distance, pretty as a picture taken by millions of tourists every year.

Yes, I was being sarcastic, I'm an artist I have the right.

"Leif, you have that look on your face that says 'this, while pretty, is seen on one to many postcards.' And scarily enough it matches Sasori and Deidara's looks as well." Akira commented as she shielded her eyes from the sun to get a better look at the surrounding area.

"It's an overdone..."

"Tourist making."

"Scene, un."

Several snickers could be heard from the back of the group and it looked like Akira was trying her best not to burst out into laughter: the three of us just continued to analyze the scene before us in a highly critical manner. After a few more minutes we finally turned away and joined our friends in exploring the temple.

I somehow managed to wander off on my own and find a small shrine that looked like it hadn't been used in years. It was sitting in a small depression a bit off the path but I was still curious as to why they would put a shrine there and then forget about it. I was in luck however, because I'm small enough to fit through the various openings of plants without too much trouble, and made my way toward the shrine.

Once close enough to really examine it, I began to run my hands along the surface, I wanted to paint this scene really badly, and that meant I had to commit everything to memory. Small dents in the wood and the area where a small statue had once sat, faded paint and smooth areas where so many had once placed their offerings to the gods, a thousand stories needing to be told in one moment.

Most definitely my next project.

"Leif, un?"

Startled out of my reverie I did one of the stupidest things I could have done and shot my hand forward on the rough wood, giving myself several splinters and a minor heart attack. Once calmed down from the adrenaline rush I turned to face Deidara as he gave me a curious stare that turned worried when he saw the blood dripping from my fingers. With surprising ease Deidara made his way down the slope and over to where I stood cradling my bleeding hand.

"Dope, what did you do to yourself this time, hmm?"

"Ah, it's nothing, just a splinter…ow."

Carefully taking my hand in his Deidara looked over the damage I had done to myself and then without a single warning began to yank out the splinters.

"OW!"

"Stop squirming un!"

"But it hurts!"

Deidara stopped momentarily and gave me a mystified look as if to ask if I was really acting like a four year old and then changed his mind and pulled out another particularly large splinter. In the mean time I continued to squirm as he pulled out the last few pieces of wood from my hand. Once done he searched himself for something to wrap my hand with but came up with nothing and gave me a questioning look as if to say, 'do you have anything?'

"I think I have a bandana in my back pocket."

"Which one, un?"

"The side I'm bleeding on."

"Hold still un."

In what was probably the most embarrassing moment, but not to be the last, of my time with him Deidara reached around me and reached into my left back pocket and tried to grab the piece of clothe while still holding onto my bleeding hand.

"Got it un."

He whipped out the maroon bandanna I had hidden in my pocket and then quickly wrapped it around my hand and then stepped back and smiled at his handiwork.

"Leif?"

"Yes."

"Why did you bring a maroon bandanna to go with a green shirt and Capri's un?"

"It was convenient?"

"And you claim you're an artist, un."

"It was the first thing I grabbed!"

Shaking his head Deidara laughed at my answer and raised his hands as if to say, 'what do I do with you?" I in return gave him an unhappy look and crossed my arms over my nonexistent chest. He continued to laugh at me and soon enough I joined in as well, considering just how ridiculous the whole thing was.

A sudden movement from Deidara ended our laughter though, as I flinched and backed up a step as if afraid of something. Lowering his hand Deidara looked me over as if seeing something for the first time, the something I thought I had hidden from him so well.

"Leif, who used to hit you, hmm?"

"Wh-what makes you think that?"

For a moment Deidara's eyes darkened in color as if he was angry and he stepped closer to me, as if that would help him understand what had happened.

"You're a terrible liar, un."

"We…we should go. The others will be wondering where we went."

I turned to flee back up the hill but a strong calloused hand caught my wrist and held me in place. Another hand gently grabbed my shoulder and turned me around to stare into blue eyes that wouldn't let me go without an answer.

"My father."

"Hmm?"

"My father's name was Hitsugaya Toshi, and he hated me."

"Why?"

"Please I'd rather not talk about this."

"Your friends know, un?"

"Yeah…Hidan-kun and I were neighbors. He was the first person to realize what was happening and helped me. You see when I was thirteen he scrapped together enough money to send me to Japan."

"You're not originally from Japan, un?"

"Iie, Hidan-kun and I are both from America, Oregon to be exact."

Deidara nodded his head once and then without warning placed a hand on top of my head and ruffled my hair. I tried to dodge out of the way but he was taller and had longer arms, which soon went from messing up my hair to being wrapped around me in a tight embrace.

"Am I not considered your friend, un?"

"What? No! You're my friend, why would you say that?"

"Then why didn't you want to tell me, hmm?"

I sighed, getting over my fathers abuse had not been easy. Years of constantly looking over my shoulder and never meeting people's eyes still haunted me to this day. If it hadn't been for my friends I would have never made it as far as I did.

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Un."

"Before I met my friends, before I started living the way I do now. I was lost. I _**hated**_ painting or anything else that had to do with art. I hated it so much that I gave it up completely."

"Really, un?"

"Mm-hmm. I was so far gone I decided it would be better to kill myself than to have to see things that I wanted to paint. So one day I threw myself in front of a very nice Porsche."

"And you're still alive, un?"

"A very nice Porsche with really good brakes. It's funny…when Kit finally got done yelling at me she threw me in her car and drove me to the nearest restaurant and made me eat pancakes with her for an hour."

"Pancakes…"

"I haven't touched one since. Seeing her eat two dozen of them by herself was enough to make me swear off them forever."

"You shouldn't joke about trying to kill yourself, un."

"I'm not joking, it really did happen!

That memory alone was enough to make me smile again. Kit had actually stolen her father's Porsche and when I tried to kill myself she had gotten pissed. She had continued her rant all the way to the restaurant and over the pancakes. And when she was done she didn't look at me with pity or ask me why I wanted to kill myself, all she had said was that she was coming back to the restaurant the next morning I had better be there or she'd hunt me down and handcuff herself to me.

I believed her and the next morning she was there as promised.

"Leif! Deidara! Where are you?" CJ's voice cut through the silence that had fallen on us and made me realize that he was still holding onto me as if I would run. We quickly separated and made our way back up to the temple proper where the others were impatiently waiting for us.

"What took you?" Kakuzu grumbled from under his mask.

"Ah! I was an idiot and managed to get a bunch of splinters in my hand. Deidara found me and helped pull them out." To prove my point I held up my 'bandaged' hand and let everyone see.

Everyone seemed to buy my excuse with two exceptions. Akira smiled but it never quite reached those all knowing eyes of hers and Saiya simply continued to stare at the two of us as if she could find her answer written on us somewhere.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the area in and around the temple, which turned out to be surprisingly big considering how small the grounds were. Deidara stuck by my side for most of the day, only being pulled away by one of his friends every once in a while and even then it was only for a few minutes.

By the time we got back to the inn I was exhausted and ready for bed. Once we were in the room I immediately fell onto the nearest futon and fell asleep. I didn't even twitch when someone pulled a blanket over me and left through the shoji door and onto the porch.

* * *

"Deidara-san."

"Saiya-san, un?"

"Hai," Saiya said as she eased herself down next to the blond. Deidara in turn continued to stare at the night sky as if contemplating one of the world's greatest mysteries.

"So she told you did she?"

"She did, un."

Saiya nodded her head in acknowledgement and continued to examine the area around them like she was looking for a sign that someone was listening to them. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two and Deidara shifted slightly to try and relievie his tension without success.

Suddenly Saiya stood and flicked her wrist out as though she were trying to get a bug off of her hand and in that instant Deidara thought he saw a flash of light appear at her fingertips. What really attracted his attention though, was when a small stone statue that had been sitting a few feet away from them suddenly fell apart; sliced into pieces without a sign of what did it.

"Let that be your first, and only, lesson Deidara-san."


	11. Eleventh Stroke

**Hey guys it's been a while! I was able to udate The Difference for those of you who also read that one and now I was finally able to get some free time and write this chapter. Things have been so hectic, I've barely had time for myself! With work, 4-H, trying to start a business with my friend, and my mom occasionally threatening to sell the house things haven't been easy, but they are getting better!**

**As always I'm looking for pics of Leif or anyone else you want to draw seeing as my artistic talent extends to dilapitated stick figures and a straight line with an oddly shapped squiggle connecting to both ends to protray Maine...way to go mom for being able to guess that during pictionary.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Naruto. I do own Leif and all her crazy friends so please ask if you want to use them, I'm more than happy to lend them out. **

**Warning: Flamers will be thanked for being my first flamers, laughed at, and then bad mouthed to all my friends...I will take helpfull criticism, or corrections on spelling or grammer. **

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"_What is this I'm feeling? I don't know, and I can't ask. I guess I'll just have to play it by ear…" _

It was dark, I was standing in the hall soaking wet, the apartment was clean, and Deidara was standing in front of the TV playing Guitar Hero in nothing but his boxers with our two newest additions to the house staring at him. Well this was a normal day…

Let me start at the beginning. We had finally come back from our little 'vacation' and were back to our normal lives. Well, as normal as you can get with the way things are around here. Deidara was acting fairly normal around me with the exception being when we were in public together and a person made any sort of violent move toward me.

It was kind of nice to tell the truth.

Not long after we had returned I managed to find two small cats in a dumpster, yes this means I went dumpster diving, but I couldn't resist their cries for help. What I didn't realize was that I had managed to rescue a pair of lunatics.

We had decided to name them June and Ryuzaki or L as I liked to call him. June was a slim light brown cat that had come to love climbing everything in the house and diving into my paints. L on the other hand loved to eat sweets, which we desperately tried to keep away from him, and was entirely black including his eyes.

June was sleeping curled up on the couch while L stared with wide-eyed contemplation at Deidara, who continued to ignore the highly disturbed girl standing in the hallway watching him swear and twitch as he tried to beat his old score on the game, or was it Itachi's? I wasn't sure seeing as the two seemed to have a rivalry that leaned toward violence.

It wasn't the sight of my half naked roommate playing video games in the living room, or the fact that the cat was staring at him so intently it was going to burn a hole in his back soon that startled me, but the fact that the living room was clean. There were no stacks of paints or canvases, no mess of paper or food that we left out. I could clearly see the paint on the floor that had slowly begun to form a picture of some sort, though I wasn't sure what it was yet. Was Deidara sick? Was something wrong? Did I do something to make him do this?

I continued to wait seeing as I was dripping wet and didn't want to track dirty water through the now clean living room. Eventually Deidara finished his song and waited for his score to appear on the screen, which then deflated his ego ever so slightly because it came up a few points short of Itachi's.

"Um, Deidara?"

He whipped around to look at me giving me a nice look at his toned body, though I had seen it once before when I had painted him. He seemed surprised to see me standing there but he got over it quickly and let out a snicker when he saw how drenched I was. Shaking his head Deidara left the room and got me a towel and a pair of pants for himself.

"What were you doing out in the rain, hmm?" He handed me the towel and slipped his pants on as I tried to sop up as much water as possible with little success. I vigorously rubbed my hair with the towel trying to get some semblance of dryness to me and still failed dismally.

"Need some help, un?"

"No, I can do it." Trying desperately to not look like an idiot in front of my hot roommate, wait when did I begin thinking that? It made me stop, he had always been a roommate to me and had gradually become a friend, but I had never really considered him **that** way before. As an artist I had admired his body just for the fact that it was a perfect for painting, but now it seemed I had gone over a line I hadn't been aware of.

The rough texture of the towel running along my face and hair brought me out of my startling revelations and back to the fact that Deidara had taken it upon himself to dry me off. I tried to swat his hands away but it was useless, and eventually I was semi dry with really whacked out hair

"Much better, un."

I felt a blush begin to creep up my neck and quickly tried to cover it up by wrapping the towel around my hair and claiming I needed to get into dry clothes. Deidara seemed to buy it, but still gave me a curious look because of my actions as I scurried to my room to change.

By the time I got back Deidara had slipped on his pants and was back to playing his game; giving me the opportunity to bring out a sketch pad and let my mind wander back to the matter at hand.

Really it was not unusual for someone to admire Deidara's body, hell, as an artist I should be praising whatever powers that be for giving me a roommate like him. I'd bet there were quite a few girls out there who would kill to live in my position, but that didn't amount to much for me.

So what had changed? Was this new found attraction because of what had happened at the inn? He now knew that I didn't have a happy childhood, and that was definitely something to account for, but still, was that the only reason? He'd always been kind to me, but whether it was because of the threats of Kit and Saiya or his own want was still a question though…

Bah, all that contemplating was giving me a headache, but on the plus side I now had a rough sketch of something that seemed very familiar to me, like I had seen it once before somewhere. I let my thoughts continue to brew as the pencil I was using scritch scratched across the paper.

Moments later a frustrated cry came from Deidara as he once again failed to beat Itachi's score, breaking me out of my stupor, and bringing my attention to the fact that I had finished the picture. I blushed at the finished product even though it wasn't all that lewd, if anything it was quite plain.

Two people lay under a black cloak with read clouds; you couldn't really make out what was happening or even who it was. They both had long hair, though one had darker hair than the other and was also obviously female. The two seemed to be content just being with each other, while everything else around them was shadowed, giving a tone of security and peace.

"What are you drawing, hmm?"

I jumped in surprise at having someone whisper into my ear and let the paper slip to the floor. Deidara stared at me with raised brows as I blushed and tried to gather up the drawing before he could get a good look at it. Unfortunately he was faster than me like always and snatched it up before I could grab it.

He examined it for a moment before handing it back to me without a comment. I tried to ignore the feeling of blood rushing to my face and desperately searched for something to talk about that would take our minds off of this little event.

"Um, ah, Deidara-san, why is the living room clean?"

He blinked at me at the abrupt change in topics, but humored me anyway, explaining that he couldn't find the remote earlier so he decided to clean the living room to find it. I laughed at his reasoning; it was so like him to look for the remote for an hour instead of just using the buttons on the TV. It was so comical to me I couldn't help letting out a small giggle which made him give me a devilish smirk as if he were plotting something.

"You think it's funny, hmm?"

I froze at the look at his face expecting something to happen at any second. We stared down and waited for one small movement that would tell us to move. A slight twitch of his hand and I was leaping for the hallway with Deidara hot on my heels. I was nearly through the door to my room when he tackled me and began to tickle my feet.

"Noooo!! Mercy!"

Deidara let out a laugh and continued to torture my poor feet as I struggled to get free. Luckily, June seemed to be very happy to help me and Deidara was suddenly forced to let go of me when she began to climb up his bare back so she could get involved in our little game.

I scrambled away and into my room as he tried to pry the small cat off of his shoulders without causing himself too much damage. Once I was safely inside my room I closed and locked the door just in the nick of time to as he lunged for me again. I winced as he crashed into the wooded and let out a loud string of curse words, I could only imagine the look he was giving me through the door.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, un. I just wish June wouldn't do that."

I giggled through the door as sound of him moving around made its way to my ears along with the ringing of his cell phone. I heard him pick up and talk to the person on the other line for a minute or two and then the sound of him hanging up and walking toward his room. I peeked my head out the door and saw that the coast was clear and carefully made my way back to the living room so I could gather my stuff back together.

I had finally managed to find my pencil when Deidara returned from his room fully dressed and carrying his boots. He sat down next to me and began to put on his boots with a very strange look on his face. I had the feeling it wasn't a good sign and that call had been from someone he found unpleasant.

"Is everything all right? You seem concerned."

Deidara snapped out of his trance and sent me a smile that was supposed to be comforting but wasn't. "I'll be fine; a friend just wants me to come see them real quick, hmm, I should be back in an hour." And with that he finished tying off his boots and walked out the door without another word.

* * *

Third Person and with Deidara

Deidara stood before the quaint two story house with unease. Its traditional style was actually slightly intimidating considering he knew who lived in there: it was both fitting and confusing. Really if she wanted to talk to him she could have picked a friendlier place.

When he knocked on the door her younger brother was the one who answered: the brat. He was almost a mirror replica of his sister with the exception being his slightly darker blue eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked in an irritatingly loud voice making the man wince.

"Your sister called me over, un."

"Nee-chan?"

"Un."

The boy opened the door to allow Deidara in and began to walk down one of well polished halls. "Nee-chan's in the training room," he said over his shoulder as he took a sharp turn and stopped in front of one of the sliding shoji doors, waiting for the man to catch up. Once he was there the boy opened the door and motioned for him to step through.

Deidara stared at the woman who was crouched in the middle of the tatami(1) floor. Long blonde hair was braided tightly against her head and she was wearing a traditional hakama(2) and keikogi(3) wrapped tightly around her body. A single katana hung from her belt and in that position he could just barely make out the fact that she was in deep concentration.

With one move she had unsheathed the sword and had taken a step forward. From there she began a series of movements that mirrored a battle from some movie he had seen; truly Akira was an incredible swordswoman. She eventually ended up back where she had started and sheathed her katana.

Once she was finished Akira turned to Deidara with a graceful smile while calmly walking toward him.

"Deidara-san, welcome, I'm so glad you could come on such short notice." She said with a short bow.

"You were quite insistent about this, hmm." He bowed in response not quite knowing what to do around her.

Akira let another pretty smile come across her face as she motioned for him to follow her to another room which held a low table and a tea set all ready for the two of them. They seated themselves across from each other and began to have a proper tea time, yet there was something in the air that hung over them, a kind of question that would need to be answered.

"Is there something you wanted to ask me Akira-san, hmm?"

He had noticed that from the very beginning her smile hadn't quite reached her eyes and that she seemed to be on edge.

"You are a very perceptive person Deidara-san. I called you here to talk about Leif-chan."

"What about her, hmm?"

"I talked with Saiya-chan the night after we got back and she mentioned that Leif had told you about her father."

"Ah, are you going to threaten me as well Akira-san, un?"

The woman in question sent him another dazzling smile and set her cup down with a clink. She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment and then she was speaking.

"She has the kind of quality to her that just attracts protectors to her, you know? She's like that kicked puppy you see on TV, it makes your heart bleed and your soul burn. That someone would hate Leif is something that seems impossible, and yet it has happened to her, and it has scared her."

"I guess you could say that what I want to ask you, Deidara-kun, is…What are your intentions towards her?"

Deidara gave a start at the woman's forwardness but otherwise made no sound as he tried to figure out the best way to answer her. After thinking a moment he finally found an answer he though would suffice for her.

"The truth is Akira-chan I have no way of knowing anymore, un. She confuses me to no end and I have no certain way of knowing what I feel toward her."

"I see," Akira paused to take a few sips of her still hot tea, "then I must impose this one rule on you."

Deidara suddenly found himself suddenly with the sharp end of Akira's katana gently pressing against his throat. He stared into Akira's eyes and there was something there that dared him to defy her, they had also seemingly turned a light golden-brown and slit much like a cats.

"If you ever make Leif-chan cry I will punish you. More so than Saiya or Kit would ever do to you. You see, Deidara-kun, I am very much like a wolf, highly protective of those I see as being in my pack. If I see you as a threat I will spare no cost to see you scared away from her."

"..."

"More tea, Deidara-san?"

* * *

**I seem to be ending chapters with threats on Deidara. It's just the way her friends are though. **

**A little explination to several terms I used...**

**1. (in Japanese houses) any of a number of thick, woven straw mats of uniform dimensions, about three feet by six feet (91 cm by 183 cm), the placing of which determines the dimensions of an interior.**

**2. are a type of traditional ****Japanese clothing**** resembling a wide, pleated skirt. They were originally worn only by men, but today they are worn by both men and women. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles**

**3. or dōgi is a uniform for training, used in Japanese martial arts, ****budo****. (keiko means practice, gi means dress or clothes). In ****English****, the term keikogi is sometimes referred to simply as the gi, which would be a wrong use of the word in Japanese. Often keiko is replaced with the name of the ****Japanese martial art**** being practiced**.

**Hope you all had a good 4th! Please review!**


	12. Tweleth Stroke

**Sorry this took so long guys!! I got really busy with work and school and new friends that I didn't get much time to write…My muse also took an extended holiday for which she has been thoroughly beaten.**

**I'll try to update sooner now that I'm more used to my schedule, but first I have to see a doctor because the school nurse thinks I have a minor form of Narcolepsy…--**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any characters from there, I do own Leif and her crazy friends. **

**Warning: Flamers will be**** laughed at, thanked for being my first flamers, and subsequently badmouthed to everyone I know.**

**Luv you guys!!**

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"_Sometimes it's hard to control it…That need to get out and do things normal people shouldn't be able to do. Is it because of Father? Has he tainted me so much I still cannot escape what he has done?"_

Home sweet home…I couldn't wait to just collapse on the couch and have a little quite time.

I let out a tired groan and plopped onto the couch not noticing Deidara enter the room with a dish of something. He came and sat next to me looking over my exhausted form with a slight frown. This was the third day that I came home utterly exhausted and disappointed; it's not easy getting rejected.

"No luck again, hmm?'

I groaned and turned so that my back was to him, hoping he'd get the picture and just let me stew for a little while, but instead he poked me in the back with a cold spoon, seems he was eating ice-cream.

"Stop it!"

"No, un."

"Lemme alone…"

Another poke to my back let me know he wasn't leaving any time soon so I decided it would be better if I faced him instead of trying to ignore him. He stared at me lazily while sucking on his spoon trying to get the last bits of ice-cream. Sure it was easy for him not to be worried, he had a pretty steady job making small statues that were sold in various shops to tourists. He also made a killing selling his original works to collectors and other places that needed statues.

I, on the other hand, only had what I made by selling my paintings, and recently I hadn't been able to sell as many as I usually did. Not wanting to be a burden and make Deidara pay most of the rent I had gone on the hunt for a job.

It had now been three weeks since I had begun hunting for a job, Deidara had moved in about four months ago, and it was the middle of July. Deidara had kindly offered to pay most of the rent for a while until I got a job…and then threw in that he'd charge me interest everyday until I paid him back.

Bastard…

I seemed to have the worst luck possible. Every time I tried to get a job something seemed to happen to convince my potential bosses not to hire me. Several of these incidents included my friends coming in and causing mass chaos, and at one point involved Kit and one of her boyfriends, an empty bottle of soda, toilet bowl cleaner, and aluminum foil. I didn't even want to begin to think about the poor woman who had been interviewing me.

Deidara had not helped in any way so far, only laughing when he heard what kind of trouble I had gotten in. It was doing nothing for my nerves and I was getting more and more stressed by the day.

"Hey," my roommate said as he gently poked my face, "is that a zit, un?"

I sat up in horror and raced to the bathroom looking at the small bump on my face that was obviously a zit. Just what I needed, one of the few things I was actually proud of about myself is that I never got zits. Now here was the horrible truth of what was happening to me.

"Leif, un?"

I let out a sniffle trying to contain the tears of frustration as they threatened to flow from my eyes. It wasn't just what had been happening with my paintings, or trying to find the jobs, it was also what I had been feeling towards Deidara. I was so confused that it was affecting everything I did. I hadn't been able to paint anything as he seemed to plague my thoughts all the time.

I had thought about going to one of my friends for help, but I knew that would only cause me more trouble than it was worth, so I kept my problems to myself.

"What's the matter, hmm?"

"I don't know, I just feel a little overwhelmed."

Deidara stayed silent for a minute before he left the doorway and disappeared into his room, only to return tucking his wallet into his back pocket before he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the apartment.

"Wait! Where are we going?"

"You'll see, un."

I was quite literally pulled all the way to our destination. It was in inauspicious looking building, an old warehouse that had been abandoned by the looks of it, but with one knock and the flash of a card we were quickly ushered into what had to be Japan's biggest arcade.

A blazing flash of light greeted our eyes and then we were standing in a giant room filled with every arcade machine from pong to DDR. Near one side of the room there were giant TV screens that seemed to be showing some kind of sports game, there was another area devoted to food and rest, complete with a cafeteria style counter and couches.

I quickly grabbed onto Deidara's sleeve before he could take off on me and asked him where we were.

"Ah, this is one of Kakuzu's business ventures, un." He said it so plainly I almost couldn't believe it, if it weren't for the fact that Kakuzu was headed right for us, and he didn't look happy.

"I thought I told you that you weren't allowed in here anymore."

"Still had my card and Leif needed some stress relief, hmm."

Kakuzu's strange eyes came to rest on my cowering form as I tried to hide behind Deidara. Kakuzu had always frightened me a bit because he reminded me of my father. He completely dwarfed me in height and had this tendency to loom over me for no apparent reason. The fact that he was almost constantly glaring never helped much either.

"You know Hidan will never let you hear the end of it if you don't let us in, un."

Kakuzu let out an aggravated sigh and turned on his heel walking away in an obvious huff while Deidara smirked at his retreating form. Once he was out of our sight I was once again grabbed and dragged over to a flashing machine that he quickly swiped his card threw and handed me one of the guns attached to the machine.

Two hours, seventeen games, eight cans of soda, and one missing shoe later I was being dragged up to the second floor which I though contained even more games but was quickly informed it was a two story laser tag arena where you were allowed to enter with as many people as you wanted, and were given an hour to run the maze. The walls moved, there were people everywhere trying to stop you, and the entire place was wired which explained all the TV's on the first floor.

And he wanted me to go in there with him…

This led to the most peculiar thing I've done in quite some time…I somehow managed to get both hands and leg braced on the door frame with Deidara holding onto my middle while trying to drag me into the dreaded maze. Did he really think I was going to go in there willingly?

Unfortunately I wasn't as physically strong as Deidara and he ended up pulling me into the starting area of what was to become my own personal hell. I was outfitted quickly with a chest plate and gun, and then suddenly we were standing on a bright red rectangle with the word start written on it. The wall in front of us opened with a pressurized hiss and then I was running, trying desperately to keep up with Deidara.

It was incredible how quickly things went from bad to worse really. One moment I was just behind Deidara and then a wall zipped between the two of us and cut us off from each other. In my panic I barely managed to register the fact that one of the other walls had slid open to reveal a new passage or that there was a 'hunter' sneaking up on me.

"Deidara! Deidara?! Where are you? What do I do?" A muffeled yell came from the other side of the wall but it wasn't distinct enough for me to make out. I tried to think of what to do when the heavy sound of footsteps came to my ears. I turned and looked up at the man who stood only a few feet away from me, holding a laser gun pointed directly at the kill target on my chest.

"Game over." Even in my state of fear I thought that was cliché, and with everything that had been going on this was just another notch in the last three weeks. This had gone on too far and I refused to let anyone else pick on me.

I ducked so suddenly the man didn't even notice I had rolled behind him until I hit the target on his back. There was a stunned silence between us as he tried to register that I had beaten him while I tried to suppress the growing revulsion suddenly going through my body. I was so distracted I hadn't noticed that my shirt had fallen over my shoulder in such a way that it revealed the infinity symbol inked into my skin just above my collarbone.

"How did you…?" his eyes landed on the tattoo I had always kept hidden and for a moment I saw his eyes widening in fear and understanding before he turned and walked away. I reached up and gently rubbed the mark before I readjusted my shirt so that no one could see it. It was time to get moving then…

I made my way through the maze and tried to avoid getting trapped by anymore of Kakuzu's hunters. My reflexes had slowed because I had calmed down a bit but I still couldn't find the blond who had dragged me in there. It worried me that he might have gotten hit even though he was the one who forced me into coming here in the first place. I really didn't want to be in there alone, it would remind me to much of what should stay buried deep in my past.

'_You little runt…Good for nothing but fodder during a war…'_

'I won't let you win, father…I'm free now and you can't take that away.'

I suddenly found myself in a circular room with screens all over the walls and what looked to be an elevator, more curious than frightened I approached the small lift and was just about to step in when Kakuzu's face lit up the screen next to me. I let out a startled scream and dropped my gun as the man glared at me.

"Kakuzu-san?"

"Congratulations, you've made it to the safe point. Unfortunately for you Deidara has already been taken out of the game, so you're on your own." Oh that was not good. "I'm surprised you made it this far, very few people do and the only person to ever beat this thing was Itachi…" So that was it! Once again Deidara's need to one up Itachi had come into play and he had dragged me into it this time! I was so going to get him for this.

"One more thing, you only have thirty seconds to rest and then my best hunter is going to come in there and take you out…" The screen went blank as I stared in horror of the thought of his best hunter coming for me. I scrambled for the lift and was soon on the second floor and running for my life as I tried to think of a way to get out of this crazy thing without seeming like a complete fool.

When one of the wall slid closed in front of me I stopped and tried to see which one had opened, only to realize they were making me go back, talk about playing dirty. I followed the path back and took a new route only to be forced back again, but I had a pretty good idea of how they were doing the layout of the maze by now, so instead of just trying a new path I quickly went back toward the lift and started to make my way toward the back of the maze.

Hopefully this would work out somehow.

* * *

Deidara stood dejectedly in front of the screens on the first floor watching as some other group of people tried their hand at beating the challenge only to fail miserably before they could even reach the check point. So much for beating Itachi's record.

"Man can you believe that girl, she's still in there…"

Turning to look at what the man next to him was talking about Deidara stared in wonder over the fact that Leif was on the second floor and avoiding getting caught. She narrowly slipped through a closing door and dodged a set of hunters as they went walking right by her position, before she took the route they had just come down. She didn't seem to notice the tall dark haired man following her with easy strides or the fact that, while her path was relatively clear, there were just too few traps.

She was going to be creamed by this guy and there was nothing he could do.

* * *

It wasn't that hard to sense the guy behind me, really it was obvious what would happen once I got to a certain point. What I wasn't expecting was that he'd be seven feet tall…

It's a good thing I'm a fast runner. I was running down the maze before he even realized I was on to him. That didn't stop him from following me and quickly gaining ground, but I was small enough that I could take sharper turns than him. Somewhere along the way I had ditched the gun and was simply running full out for no other reason than not wanting to be face to face with the guy chasing me.

An alarm started to sound telling me time was almost up, making me run even faster. I followed the right hand side of the wall hoping to any power that be that I wouldn't be smashed by the thug chasing me. There was a rush of air and space I couldn't begin to remember and then the feel of flesh meeting ground as I leaped the last few feet through a closing wall and across the finish line.


	13. Thirteenth Stroke

**I Live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **

**Yes I know it's been a long time, I was very busy with college. I intend to make it up to all of you! I will beat my muse into submission if I must! **

**There will be other things happening for me on so keep an eye out for them! **

* * *

"_The days seem to be flying by, and I've begun to wonder when this will all come crashing down."_

"Are you still mad at me?"

"Hmm."

"Deidara-san?" The door to his room closed sharply, indicating that, yes, he was still angry with me for winning that laser tag game, and that my (very disheveled) picture now hung next to Itachi's in the main hall of the arcade. You'd think that after a week of not talking to me, and the fact that he had dragged me there, would have some influence, but that didn't seem to be the case. It was actually starting to get a little frustrating, seeing as we lived together and he would barely look at me.

On the plus side of things I was selling more of my paintings, and had finally managed to get a part time job at a local craft store: Which meant I was able to pay the rent, and not go into debt! Kakuzu had also handed me a check for some prize money which I had quickly put into the cookie jar for safe keeping.

"Really, is it that horrible that I actually won?"

Hearing no response from behind the door I made my way back to the kitchen in hopes of finding something to settle my queasy stomach. I hadn't been feeling good for the last few days or so, and my roommate was not helping. I opened the fridge and looked at everything we had only to close it again because nothing really grabbed my attention. Plus we were out of a few necessary items.

Deciding it was better to get what we needed instead of waiting to see if Deidara was going to stop being a stubborn bitch and go with me, I threw on a coat and grabbed the small plastic bag we used to hold the collective grocery money and walked out the door. The grocery store was only a few blocks away, but you'd be surprised to what can happen in just a few blocks.

Halfway down the stairs I let out a cough and tried to bundle myself tighter in my coat in hopes of escaping what felt to be an oncoming cold. I jumped down the last few stairs and walked down the street letting my eyes wander for inspiration, now that the days were starting to get colder it was harder for me to find things I wanted to paint. The autumn colors were pretty and all, but they just weren't what I was looking for at the moment.

Thanks to Deidara's huffiness I was able to sneak in some personal time with his PS2, more specifically his game Okami. The artwork was absolutely brilliant and I loved how everything flowed so easily into itself. It actually made me switch to a more traditional style for a while and I was having fun with it. June and L had been my first subjects, the traditional style with the two of them curled up together on the couch had actually sold very fast, and afterward I had discovered there seemed to be a high demand for those kinds of paintings so I adapted and just left things up to fate.

I entered the small store and made my way to the items we needed, before deciding to just browse for a little while so that I could kill some time, and not be in a quite house with a bitchy roommate. By the time I left I had two bags of groceries instead of just one plastic one, and had decided that I needed to pay a visit to some other shops in hopes of getting more inspiration. Two hours later I made my way back to the apartment and was given the surprise of finding my roommate asleep on the couch. I slipped my shoes off and quietly padded my way to the kitchen where I made quick work of putting everything away without making to much noise. When I finished I gathered the paints that I had purchased and dropped them off in my room before sitting on the couch with what little space had been left by Deidara.

I stared at him for a moment and watched as he murmured and turned in his sleep, and then I don't know what came over me. Suddenly I was leaning over him watching intently for any sign that he might be waking up, but he simply remained asleep, oblivious to the girl above him. I wondered what it was like to kiss someone like him, being his roommate I knew all about his habits, but I didn't really have any clue about romance. I'd always been too busy trying to survive for that.

With a sudden surge of courage I closed the few inches between us and…kissed him…it was....different...he smelled like cologne and the earthy clay he worked with. His lips were soft and I could fell the breathe leave his body through the small space between them.

I sat up abruptly feeling my face flush crimson, what had I _done_? I flung myself off the couch and toward the door, throwing on my shoes and jacket even as I heard Deidara let out a yawn and sit up calling my name. Throwing myself out the door at top speed I managed to make it down the five flights of stairs in record time and then I was running, faster than anyone ever expected me to be, down the street and then I was headed toward my secret spot.

I got there faster than what I usually did, but then I usually came here when I was depressed about something. Now as the abandoned hotel came into view I found myself filled with enough energy to take on an army. I ran up to the side of the building and leapt up, catching an old windowsill that had long since lost all the glass and swung myself inside. Inside was barren of all but the most wrecked furniture, the walls had lost their color ages ago but they bore long scratches that had nothing to do with squatters. I tucked myself into a roll and came up running scurrying past broken doors and straight into the main entrance of the hotel.

I stopped for a moment to catch my breath leaning on my knees for support. Once I had enough air in my lungs I swung myself onto the railing and leaped into the air. I turned and caught myself on a rope I had strung between the first level and the third, using it to swing myself to the next rope some twelve feet above me. There were ropes tide off at various levels and angels giving off a spiderweb like effect to the room. I continued this for a while twirling from one rope to the next in an effort to calm myself down, though it didn't do any good.

With a sigh I landed on the ground and began to go through the familiar hand motions of what I hoped would calm me down. I threw a tube of paint onto the floor watching it spill across the old tile before I made the final seal and it transformed into two replicas of myself. They looked at me and smiled before pulling out kunai and leaping toward me in tandem. I leaped back and drew my own kunai blocking their blows and delivering my own in turn. We quickly made our way back onto the ropes balancing precariously as we exchanged blows, one of my clones disappeared when I sent her falling to the ground with a well placed kick to her stomach where she returned to a puddle of ink upon impact.

The other clone leaped back and began to flick through several seals before dropping to the ground and slamming her palms against the floor causing the whole building to rumble and making me lose my balance. I twisted easily enough and landed on my feet before running over to the abandoned desk and grabbing a scroll from underneath the counter. The clone hesitated when she saw what I had grabbed but shrugged and pulled out a hidden bamboo tube from under her shirt, I copied the motion and we both began a new set of seals. She dropped to the ground and began to paint something, though I couldn't tell what it was, I in turn finished off the last few lines for a large ice hound that then leaped off the page at my command, a cold wind trailing behind it.

My clones own creation, something vaguely resembling a ferret though it was far to big and had lightning cracking from the end of it's tail, leaped forward baring sharp teeth and a small pitchfork. The ice hound let out a low growl and sent an icicle flying toward the living painting.

We stayed where we were, watching as the two tried to gain some kind of advantage in their scuffle, lightning and ice flying through the air. The clone let a smile cross her lips, she had something planned and I was certain I wasn't going to like it. She put her hands together in a sign that I couldn't quite place, but knew I had seen.

When the ferret faltered in its' attack I knew what she was doing. The sign was one I'd seen Deidara use when he'd dragged me out to see him launch off a few fireworks. I quickly ducked for cover and winced as hot air passed over the top of my head. There was the sound of ink splashing to the floor and then silence fell as we tried to decide what to do next. What I wasn't expecting was for my clone to come descending from above with a kunai at the ready.

I rolled out of the way and twisted the handle of the brush I was using, revealing the knife hidden underneath. She charged at me again managing to nick my shoulder before sweeping my feet out from under me. I managed to strike out with the knife and catch her across the throat causing her to splash into a puddle of ink at my feet.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and leaned against the wall to catch my breath. There was surprisingly little damage to the main room, with the exception of a few scorch marks and some melting ice, there wasn't much I needed to do to make sure the building wouldn't come down anytime soon. Once I caught my breath I collected my jacket from behind the old reception desk and slipped it back on. With one final look around I made my way out of the building and began to walk back to town, feeling much calmer about everything, but I was still unsure of what to tell Deidara or if he even knew what I had done.

By the time I reached the shops the sun had already set and I was starting to feel a bit better about everything that had happened. On my way back to the main part of town I noticed that there were banners hanging from building to building, announcing the two week long festival that would be starting in the evening. Startled by the fact that the festival was starting early this year I quickened my pace in hopes of speaking with several shop owners in order to show my paintings.

I stepped out onto the main square and froze in my place. Before me was a very familiar albino and her contrast, making out, in the middle of the square. My mouth opened and closed several times as I tried to comprehend the fact that these two had somehow gotten together. I was half tempted to scream but restrained myself with the help of a well timed hand covering my mouth. What the hell were Kirrei and Itachi thinking?

"Best leave the two of them alone," I was dragged down the street and released so that Saiya could straighten out her dress. She was dressed impeccably for just being out on the town, a classic little black dress that just barely fell to her knees and had no straps, I was surprised to see her in a dress because I was sure she didn't own one. Her hair was pinned back as well creating a very fancy look that gave away just what she was up to.

"Ah, Saiya are you meeting up with Sasori-san by chance?" Saiya stiffened at my comment but then relaxed and nodded. Surprised I reached out and rested a hand on her arm before softly asking, "but didn't you say he was too dangerous to be around?"

She turned her head away from me and mumbled something incoherent before looking back and nodding. Not understanding why she would meet with someone she considered dangerous I asked her the same question.

"We have much to talk about. It has been nearly seven years since we last saw each other and certain circumstances have changed."

"Are you sure Saiya?"

She hesitated a moment before a look crossed her eyes that I hadn't seen before, like something predatory waking up and rearing its head to test the air after a long sleep. It was no wonder why I had seen her as a King Snake. Saiya quickly returned to her normal cool self and reassured me once again that she would be fine, then with a wave she turned and disappeared into the crowd. Feeling left out of the loop I decided to give up for the night and return home.

Deidara was waiting for me in the kitchen when I got back. He looked at me long and hard before dropping his head and heaving a sigh like he was about to do something really hard. Curious I leaned against the counter and waited to see what he was going to do. We stayed that way for quite a while, and I began to wonder if I should just leave or say something to make him talk.

"I'm sorry, un."

I felt my eyes widen slightly at his proclamation but said nothing. He continued on explaining that it was frustration with everything that had happened that had made him snub me for the last week, and that he was also sorry for dragging me to the warehouse in the first place. When he was done he stared at the window for a long time before I finally cleared my throat and told him to look at me. Deidara did so reluctantly, but I made sure to hold his gaze so that he would get my message loud and clear.

"What you did was just plain mean. You ignored me because I managed to do something you haven't been able to do yourself yet. I understand that you didn't mean to get so riled up about it, but you did…That being said, I forgive you." Here he opened his mouth to make some kind of comment but I held up a hand to stop him. "Deidara, I will be the first to admit that I'm not the most athletic or competitive person around, but that doesn't mean I can't take care of myself. And I'll tell you right now that being in that maze brought up a lot of unpleasant memories for me, which is probably why I won, I will not tell you what happened to me though. After what you did you don't deserve to know."

For a moment Deidara stood stunned, I felt bad about it, but he needed to know. There were very few things that made me angry or distressed, but he had managed to do both. And those feelings were always the ones I wanted to avoid, I had to avoid them or I'd become the monster that my father had always wanted me to be.

* * *

**Here it is folks the next chapter! Feel free to tell me if I've made any mistakes, no matter how many times I look it over I always miss something. More to come soon!**

**Mist123**


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